Neither the rise in interest rates, nor the high price of plane tickets, nor the extreme heat suffered by Spain are stopping the massive arrival of tourists to Spain by land, sea and, above all, air. The Spanish airports managed by Aena have broken a new historical activity record this July, with more passengers than ever in this key month for air transport and the holiday sector.
The network has pulverized records with more than 29.7 million travelers, 10% above the same month last year and 1.2% higher than 2019, before the pandemic, the previous record year, according to data. published by Aena this Monday. And if nothing goes wrong, everything indicates that the 2023 team will also break all the highs. In the accumulated until July, 159 million passengers have already been exceeded, exceeding the levels of before the pandemic (see graph) and boosting the results of Aena -607.7 million euros of profits in the first semester.
It is the pure and simple sun and beach destinations that drive growth. The tourist who is looking for a classic leisure offer has pushed the airports of Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Ibiza or Valencia well above their previous best brands. El Prat and Barajas, however, are still below the pre-covid figures. With more than 4.9 million (-7.9% compared to 2019) and 5.5 million passengers (-6.8%) in July respectively, they fail to benefit like other large airports from this explosive demand to fly to Spain despite leading the activity in absolute numbers.
Although Barcelona has reached the middle of the summer campaign, equaling the number of international destinations before the covid air crisis, which was still noticeable last year, the 37 airlines that offer these flights from the Catalan capital have not activated still 100% of the pre-pandemic frequencies, indicates the latest report from the Barcelona Air Traffic Observatory.
Industry sources also point out that the slow recovery of connections with Asia and the suppression of flights with Russia and Ukraine since the start of the war –a market with greater weight in Catalonia than in other communities– is slowing down the recovery of El Prat more than in other large Spanish airports. Something similar happens in Barajas, they add from the air sector.
The company leading the increase in activity in Spain is, as always, Ryanair. Although this campaign the Irish low cost reinforces its leadership, with pre-pandemic growth well above its competitors this summer. If in July 2019 the airline transported almost 5.2 million passengers in Spain, last month it moved close to 6.4 million, 30% more. Its immediate competitor, Vueling, transported more than 4.8 million passengers in Aena airports this July, barely 5.3% higher than the same month in 2019. Iberia, Air Europa and Iberia Express complete the top 5 airlines with more activity this summer in Spain, although the first two are below the records of 2019.
The good air transport data in July contrasts with a June that did not meet expectations. A few weeks ago, the CEO of the Ryanair group, Michael O'Leary, expressed his concern that the macroeconomic situation will affect passenger spending in the second half of the year in a context in which ticket prices have not stopped grow above general inflation in Europe from March 2022, with the sole exception of January of this year. Perhaps to anticipate this possible contraction in demand, the airlines have moderated the increase in the cost of flights, from 6% in June and at the same level as inflation, as reflected by Eurocontrol in its recent report on the situation.
